Yellow Rooster is a performance, storyteller, that took place in the local market in Worpswede, Germany.
The task was to find a working spot in the market?How could I work in the market?
I woke up really early dressed up in comfortable clothes, not too plain or extravagant. Made a costume that would enable me to mix up with the people already working in the market.
When I first arrived instead of finding a noise place with endless stands of groceries and fruits, I found some stands, enough to alter a parking spot to a square. Everyone was installing quietly their stand and exhibiting the local or thrones brought from abroad. It was mainly food and drinks. Slowly creating a small square where people could come and meet friends.
Several performances took place by local musician, a woman dressed with an compare costume and a ugly plastic mask walked through the market around mid day with her friend dressed up in similar way. A karaoke was set up in the one of the entrances of the market, mainly performed by a group of teenagers but also from others. Lastly several performances, where performed by the rest of the artist of our group, employing different modes of addressing like selling, offering, cooking, dialogue, singing, acting out, imitating.
How could I work on something with the people already running a business in the market? What could I offer or even how do I communicate with them if I don’t speak German? Were they already performing themselves? A market voice has a specific musical tone, but in this one was not necessary too shout.
My first step was to try to find a job as an assistant, in one of the stands, but I was turned down.
I sat down in a bench waiting for my group to arrive. After a while the spot was need for the stand with the beer. By that time I had already talked with some of the people. I went and got a coffee.
David.J., a small boy around six, approached me and we started playing. The game was basically to find us breakfast. Himself was with his dad in the cheese stand. Quit soon I realised that he new everybody in the market and everyone new him. He made the necessary introduction and ask the questions in German for me.
– tomatoes
– bread … he became my shopping voice.
He know everything about the market and its products. At the same time he was also teaching me German.
Time passed and after mainly me having breakfast and him coming and going, I decided to work with time. To create a time frame that would had to do not with use of a clock but with performing a complete action. In a spot that would be obvious to the locals but not intruding their reality, nevertheless inviting them to communicate with me and I with them.
I walked around looking for the additional materials that would be added to the ones I had already in my bag – aluminium foil, pencil, paper tape, a book, drawing paper– but also put the action in the frame of the market.
I bought two threats one dark green, yellow ochre and a needle. The idea was to make an embroidery and by that I would found time. It was an idea that I borough from one of my older works, at that time in London, I was joining together three silk papers by embroidering abstract forms on them starting from a decided tempo in the movement. In the end making up an unreadable calendar that had the sound of the silk papers moving. By imitating an tactic that women in different country use by crocket.
I tried to find a fabric, but everything was too special.
Walked away and it was time for a second pause.
Coffee.
By that time it was obvious that this market had to do mainly with eating and meeting with friends.
Napkins. I offered to buy some, and I was given some for free.
An abstract drawing that turned into a Yellow Rooster. The figure of the rooster enabled me to initiate dialogues, taking advises about the form and the design of the bird.
In the mean while with Justin we made a small farm on one of the pots of the cafe, a cat, a horse, a rooster made out of aluminium foil, napkins and paper tape with some drawing marks by marker and pencil on them.
At some point David.J. put a crown of tape and aluminium foil on my head instead of wearing it him self. As the setting required not only to engage with the audience but also to be made by them. I had no choice but to leave the crown on until the embroidery of the Yellow Rooster was finished.
We went on creating stories.